Dispenser



United States Patent Maine Filed June 25, 1964, Ser. No. 377,928 Claims. (Cl. 222168) This invention relates to dispensers for automatic washing machines, and, more particularly, provides a device for automatically dispensing liquid at the proper time during a cycle of washing machine operation.

After filling the rotatable basket of a conventional automatic washing machine with soiled clothing, a cycle of machine operation is usually started by manually adding a soap or other cleansing agent to the basket, and automatically filling the basket with water. A centrally positioned agitator is activated to move the clothing, water and cleansing agent to-and-fro. After a predetermined period of agitation, the basket is spun at a uniform speed in one direction to centrifugally drain the wash water from the basket, the water being discharged from the machine by the operation of an extraction pump.

After the wash water has been centrifugally extracted, the basket is automatically filled with a charge of fresh rinse water to remove residual dirt and cleansing agents. A rinse conditioner which contains some water-softening or clothes-softening agent is added manually to the rinse water at this point in the machine cycle, because most Washing machines are not equipped to automatically dispense a rinse conditioner at the proper time. This requirement for constant awareness of the various steps in machine operation and personal intervention in the cycle during rinsing eliminates the chief advantage of an automatic washing machine. Consequently, a need exists for a simple, inexpensive and automatic rinse conditioner dispenser which can be accommodated in any conventional automatic washing machine.

Some of the known types of automatic rinse-agent dispensers have an annular receptacle which is attached to the washing machine agitator. These centrally positioned dispensers block the open top of the washing machine basket, making it diflicult to fill the basket with clothes. Because these dispensers are attached to the agitator by threaded fasteners, it is diflicult to pour out those excess amounts of rinse conditioner which are frequently added to the dispenser by accident. Moreover, the vigorous agitator to-and-fro motion during the wash period preceding the rinse period of the laundering cycle often prematurely discharges at least part of the rinse conditioner fluid out of the dispenser. Moreover, when a dispenser is designed for use with one manufacturers machines it cannot be used (with other machines. Also these dispensers are expensive and cannot be purchased over-the-counter by the individual consumer. Moreover, because in those prior art dispensers the centrifugal force of extraction packs the rinse conditioner against a radially outward dispenser wall having no support outwardly thereof, such wall is subject to a strain which may distort the shape of dispensers formed from the less ex pensive plastics.

Other dipensers are of the free floating type. They are filled with the rinse agent and are dropped into the washing machine with the clothes being washed. While such free floating dispensers are usable with almost any type of machine having a spin-drying basket, they do not distribute the rinse agent uniformly through the clothes and the rinse water.

In accordance with the present invention, these and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by mounting a box-like rinse conditioner dispenser on the 3,268,12fi Patented August 23, 1966 inner side of the basket rather than on the centrally disposed agitator. By attaching the dispenser to the basket, rather than to the agitator, the opening into the basket is not obstructed because the dispenser is placed to one side of the basket and is not concentrically disposed within the basket opening. The box-like structure of the new dispenser with no moving parts is simple and can be made without the complex and expensive manufacturing techniques required to produce the annular dispensers of the prior art. Moreover, a rinse conditioner dispenser according to the present invention can be attached to the wash basket after the clothes to be laundered have been placed therein.

Rinse conditioner is not lost during the to-and-fro motion of the agitator because the dispenser, attached to the inner wall of the basket, is not subjected to violent agitator motion. By providing means for attaching the dispenser to the basket, the dispenser may be removed therefrom readily so that rinse conditioner, accidentally poured into the receptacle in excess of the desired amount, can be poured out of the dispenser and is not lost or wasted.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following description and to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in section of one embodiment of the dispenser, provided with a charge of rinse conditioner before the start of a cycle of machine operation;

FIG. 2 is the same perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, dispensing a charge of rinse conditioner at the termination of the spin step;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modification of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank of sheet material from which the dispenser of FIG. 1 may be made.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a boxlike rinse conditioner dispenser 10 according to the present invention, has a substantially vertical inner wall 11 and an opposite, vertical, outer wall 12. A generally horizontal top 13 extends between and connects the inner wall 11 with the outward wall 12. The top 13 has an aperture or inlet means 14 formed near the inner wall 11. A downwardly sloping bottom 15 extends from the outer wall 12 radially inward toward the inner wall 11.

The bottom 15 terminates in a transverse edge 16 which is spaced from the inner wall 11 by a slot or outlet means 17. Two more or less relatively inclined side walls 18 (only one of which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) close the transverse ends of the dispenser 10 forming a fluid tight dispenser 10 which has only two openings, the aperture 14 and the slot 17.

A diagonally disposed internal bafiie 20 formed within the dispenser 10 extends from the bottom edge of the inner wall 11 in the vicinity of the slot 17, upward and outer through the dispenser 10 to interconnect the side walls 18. The uppermost and radially outermost edge of the bafile 20 terminates in a lip 22 which is spaced from the angle formed by the intersection of the top 13 and the outer Wall 12 to form a passageway 23. Thus the arrangement of the bafiie 20 within the dispenser 10 forms a first inner chamber 24, directly below the aperture 14 and an outer second chamber 25 which has a downwardly sloping bottom 15 terminating in the outlet 17.

The dispenser 10 is attachable to a conventional cylindrical washing machine basket 31 by a pair of hook bars 26 having lower port-ions 27 secured to the outside of dispenser wall 12, intermediate portions 28 rising vertically above top 13 and upper bight portions 29 projecting away from the top 13 and adapted to curve over and around the rim 30 of the basket. If desired, the bight portions may be resilient and of such shape that the horizontally opposite sides of each bight are slightly forced apart by rim 30 when the bight portions are brought down over the rim, the bights thereby providing a snap-action gripping of the rim. To this end, each bight may curve through slightly more than a semicircle and have at its outer lower end a short outwardly and downwardly extending guide lip (not shown). While the snap action effect may be obtained when the intermediate portions 28 are slightly twisted to dispose the bights 29 at a slight angle matching the arcuateness of rim 30 (see FIG. 3), the effect is intensified when the bights are coaxial (FIG. 1) so that the rims arcuate shape aids in resiliently spreading the bight sides apart. Some advantages of a snap action gripping of the rim by the bights is that, during spinning of the basket it minimizes any tendency of the dispenser to oscillate around a basket radius, to slide around the rim, or to become dislodged from the basket. Still another advantage of the snap-action gripping is that it inhibits inadvertent tilting of the receptacle around the rim and consequent inadvertent sloshing of liquid from chamber 24 into chamber 25 in the course of pouring the rinse conditioner into the receptacle.

A further measure taken to minimize the tendency of the dispenser to oscillate is that in FIG. 1 the hook bars 26 have their outer transverse sides flush with the outer sides of dispenser walls 18 so as to be spaced apart by the greatest transverse distance attainable between the bars 26 without having portions thereof projecting transversely from the dispenser box. Angular tilting outward of the dispenser box is minimized by the vertical intermediate portions 28 which space the bights vertically well above the dispenser box and horizontally close in to such box so that the radially outward distance in translation through which the box bottom can move before contacting the basket inner wall 32 is converted into a relatively small angular movement of the dispenser around the basket rim 30.

In operation, the hooks engage over rim 30 so that fluid dispenser 10 is supported against the inner surface 32 of the basket 31 in such a way that the bottom of the dispenser 10 is at all times above the level of the wash water (not shown) in the basket 31.

The rinse conditioner, which is usually a liquid 33, is poured through the inlet means 14 and is trapped in the first chamber 24 between the side walls 18, the baflie and the radially inward wall 11. When the wash water is being centrifuged from the basket 31, the basket is spun in one direction at a high speed producing a centrifugal force which presses the box-like dispenser 10 against the inner basket surface 32. Thus the dispenser 10 uses a characteristic motion of the washing machine to provide a firm supporting contact between the dispenser 10 and the basket 31. This feature of the dispenser 10 which turns a disadvantageous feature of the prior art to favorable account is distinguished from those dispensers which have been available heretofore and which require reinforcement against the structural effects of centrifugal force.

The centrifugal force packs the rinse conditioner liquid 33 trapped within the first chamber 24 against the baffle 20. Subject to such factors as centrifugal force, gravitational force, surface tension, viscosity and the w etting characteristics of the rinse conditioner, the surface of the rinse conditioner 33 in the first chamber 24 may be drawn into a parabolic shape such as that indicated by the broken line 34 in FIG. 1. As the rinse conditioner 33 is slung over the baffle lip 22 and through the passageway 23 by centrifugal force, the volume of the rinse conditioner in the first chamber 24 progressively decreases, causing the surface 34 of the rinse conditioner to recede toward the more or less complemental surface of the baffle 20. Thus the diagonal bafiie 20, approximating the surface contour of the centrifuged rinse conditioner 33, permits the complete discharge of the rinse conditioner 33, from the first chamber 24 through the passageway 23 and into the outward, second chamber 25.

The rinse conditioner 33, discharged from the first chamber, packs up against the outward wall 12 of the second chamber where the rinse conditioner may form another surface as indicated by the broken line 35. The centrifugal force tending to pack the rinse conditioner against the wall 12, and the force of gravity, tending to draw the rinse conditioner 32 vertically downward, produce a resultant force which packs the rinse conditioner against the outward wall 12 so that the lower margin of the rinse conditioner 33 is spaced radially outward of the outlet means or slot 17 thereby effectively preventing any rinse conditioner 33 from pouring through the slot 17 as long as centrifugal force of sufficient magnitude is applied to the dispenser 10.

After the wash water is discharged completely, the basket 31 stops spinning, thereby dissipating the centrifugal force and allowing the rinse conditioner liquid 33 to flow under the influence of gravity along the downwardly sloping bottom 15 and through the outlet or slot 17, as shown in FIG. 2, to mix with the rinse water pouring into the basket 31.

When the basket 31 stops spinning, a water extraction pump (not shown) also stops functioning, so that none of the rinse water or rinse conditioner flowing into the basket 31 will be discharged from the washing machine without first thoroughly treating the washed articles.

Experiments were conducted to determine if all of the product introduced into the dispenser 10 is discharged completely from the dispenser and mixes with a rinse water in the basket 31, after the basket 31 has stopped spinning.

The data was collected using sodium chloride solutions in which 7.5 grams of NaCl were added manually to the basket of a conventional top-loading automatic washed filled with approximately 16 gallons of water at 115 F. After two minutes of agitation to allow complete solution, three ml. samples of saline water were withdrawn from the basket and titrated with 0.01 N AgNO solution to an end point, using K CrO as an indicator. As a comparison, 7.5 grams of NaCl were dissolved in 20 ml. of water and placed in the dispenser 10. The dispenser 10 was then allowed to operate and dispense the salt solution into the basket in the manner previously described. Again, three 100 ml. samples were withdrawn from the basket after two minutes of agitation and subsequently titrated with the 0.01 N AgNO solution. Comparison results of the amount of AgNO required to reach an end point are seen below.

Titration with NaCl added manually Number ml.

Run No.: to end point 1 33.3

Titration with NaCl added by dispenser Number ml.

Run No to end point 1 33.2

These test results clearly indicate that almost all of the saline solution was discharged from the dispenser and practically no salt solution was prematurely pumped out of the washing machine by the extraction pump (not; shown).

Thus the decided advantages of the basket mounted dispenser combine to provide a most eflicient device for storing and automatically discharging the rinse conditioner at appropriate points in the laundering cycle, and moreover, provide a device which does not obstruct the basket opening and uses the centrifugal force generated by the spin portion of the laundering cycle to retain the dispenser firmly against the inner basket wall.

The box-like shape of the dispenser is fashioned by simple and inexpensive manufacturing techniques. Thus the dispenser 10 can be produced (FIG. 4) from a flat cruciform blank of material (e.g. sheet metal or a sheet of heat softenable synthetic resinous material) by punching the blank to form aperture 14 and by bending the longitudinal arms of the blank vertically along bend lines 45 and 46 to form the walls 11 and 12 and render them perpendicular to the top 13. The baffle 20 and the sloping bottom 15 are then formed by inwardly bending along bend lines 47 and 43 the skirts of the vertical walls 11 and 12, respectively. The side walls 18 are likewise formed by bending the opposite transverse arm portions of the cruciform blank against the transverse edges of the bottom 15, the baflle 20 and the walls 11 and 12. Subsequently, the walls 18 are bonded at those edges to the elements 11, 12, 15 and 20. Finally, the hook bars 26 are added to the completed dispenser box.

A modification of the applicants invention is shown in FIG. 3, which comprises a fluid dispenser having an internal structural arrangement similar to that described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. The arcuate shape of the dispenser 40 provides a greater internal volume for the storage and discharge of large quantities of rinse conditioner without protruding across and blocking the top of the basket 31. To conform with the arcuate shape of the dispenser 40, the bafile 20A within the receptacle also has an arcuate shape, approximating a portion of the surface of a downwardly converging cone.

While representative embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described for purposes of illustration, various changes and modifications can be made therein as pointed out above without departing from the principles of this invention. For example, magnets or other suitable means may be used in lieu of the described hook bars to fasten the dispenser 10 to the inside of the washing machine basket. Therefore, all such changes and modifications are included within the intended scope of the invention as are defined by the following claims.

I claim:

ll. A fluid dispenser for a washing machine having a rotatable basket with a substantially cylindrical side wall for centrifuging liquid from clothes in said machine comprising a receptacle having outer and inner side walls, a pair of transverse side walls, a top and a bottom wall, bafile means extending slantwise from the lower edge of said inner Wall outwardly and upwardly part way to said top, said baflle means extending transversely across the interior of said receptacle to divide said interior into an outer chamber and into an inner chamber from which fluid may flow over said baffle means to said outer chamber, fluid inlet means in said top for said inner chamber, fluid outlet means in said bottom for said outer chamber, said bottom wall extending slantwise from the lower edge of said outer wall inwardly and downwardly to provide an opening between the inner edge of said bottom wall and the lower edge of said inner wall, said opening being said outlet means, and hook means to said receptacle for hooking said receptacle inside said basket in substantially fixed relation thereto with the outer wall of said receptacle adjacent to the inside of the cylindrical Wall of said basket for rotation of said receptacle with said basket to discharge fluid from said inner chamber into said outer chamber over said bafile means and retain said fluid in said outer chamber by centrifugal force and enable liquid to drain from said outer chamber through said outlet means in response to substantial cessation of rotation of said basket.

2. A dispenser as in claim 1 in which a single blank of sheet material provides said walls and said baflie means of said receptacle.

3. A fluid dispenser for a washing machine having a rotatable spin-drying basket having a rim extending around an open top, comprising a receptacle having a top, bottom and inner and outer sides, baflle means within said receptacle extending from adjacent to the lower end of said inner side upwardly toward and terminating in spaced relation to said top and said outer side and dividing the interior of said receptacle into an inner chamber and an outer chamber communicating at their upper ends, means in said receptacles for introducing a rinse agent into said inner chamber, and outlet means in said bottom of said receptacle adjacent to said inner side for discharging said rinse agent from said second chamber, means on said receptacle for detachably mounting said receptacle inside said basket adjacent to its rim and in substantially fixed relation to said basket for rotation with said basket, said rinse agent in said inner chamber being discharged during rotation of said basket over said bafile into said outer chamber and being retained therein by centrifugal force, and discharged by gravity from said outer chamber through said outlet upon substantial cessation of rotation of said basket.

4. A fluid dispenser according to claim 3 wherein said means for detachably mounting said receptacle inside said basket comprises a pair of spaced apart hooks having resiliently curved bights fixed to said receptacle for hooking over said basket rim.

5. A fluid dispenser for a rotary washing machine basket having a rim at its upper end, said dispenser comprising a receptacle having a top, bottom and sides, bafile means within said receptacle extending upwardly from substantially the bottom of said receptacle and terminating in spaced relation to said top and dividing the interior of said receptacle into a first inner chamber and a second outer chamber communicating With said first chamber above said bafile, inlet means in the top of said receptacle for introducing a rinse agent into said first chamber, fluid outlet means in the bottom of said receptacle for discharging said rinse agent from said second chamber, and inverted hooks on said receptacle for hooking over the rim of the washing machine basket to hang said receptacle within said basket in substantially fixed relation thereto, whereby rotation of said basket discharges said agent from said first chamber over said baffle into said second chamber and retains said agent therein by centrifugal force, and substantial cessation of rotation of said basket enables gravity discharge of said agent from said second chamber through said outlet means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,095,722 7/1963 Fox 68l7 X 3,107,512 10/1963 Cobb 68l7 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

5. A FLUID DISPENSER FOR A ROTARY WASHING MACHINE BASKET HAVING A RIM AT ITS UPPER END, SAID DISPENSER COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE HAVING A TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDES, BAFFLE MEANS WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SUBSTANTIALLY THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTACLE AND TERMINATING IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID TOP AND DIVIDING THE INTERIOR OF SAID RECEPTACLE INTO A FIRST INNER CHAMBER AND A SECOND OUTER CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST CHAMBER ABOVE SAID BAFFLE, INLET MEANS IN THE TOP OF SAID RECEPTACLE FOR INTRODUCING A RINSE AGENT INTO SAID FIRST CHAMBER, FLUID OUTLET MEANS IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTACLE FOR DISCHARGING SAID RINSE AGENT FROM SAID SECOND CHAMBER, AND INVERTED HOOKS ON SAID RECEPTACLE FOR HOOKING OVER THE RIM OF THE WASHING MACHINE BASKET TO HANG SAID RECEPTACLE WITHIN SAID BASKET IN SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED RELATION THERETO, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID BASKET DISCHARGES SAID AGENT FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER OVER SAID BAFFLE INTO SAID SECOND CHAMBER AND RETAINS SAID AGENT THEREIN BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, AND SUBSTANTIAL CESSATION OF ROTATION OF SAID BASKET ENABLES GRAVITY DISCHARGE OF SAID AGENT FROM SAID SECOND CHAMBER THROUGH SAID OUTLET MEANS. 